11-Day Uganda Wildlife Safari and Gorilla Trekking with Batwa Visits

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Day 01

Arrival in Entebbe and Hotel Transfer

• Arrive at Entebbe International Airport and meet your guide for a welcome and briefing about your 11-day Ziwa Rhino and Murchison Falls Uganda safari. You will then be transferred to your hotel, where you can relax while enjoying the cool breeze from the lake. Later, have dinner and an overnight stay.

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Day 02

Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

• After an early morning breakfast at the hotel at 6:30 am, embark on a 305 km (4-5 hours) drive to the northwest of Uganda to Murchison Falls National Park via Masindi town, with a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for the mighty rhino trekking encounter. You will have lunch in Masindi town after entering Murchison Falls through the Kichumbanyobo Gate. On arrival, check in, relax, have dinner, and stay overnight.

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Day 03

Morning Game Drive, Nile Boat Cruise, and Top of the Falls Hike

• Start the day with a cup of coffee and embark on a morning game drive in the northern part of the park. This is the most rewarding game drive, as you see animals when they are most active. While on the drive, look out for elephants, giraffes, cape buffaloes, Jackson hartebeests, and Uganda kobs. Retire from the activity for lunch and relaxation.
• Later in the afternoon, set out for a 3-hour boat cruise on the Albert Nile to the bottom of the falls. Expect to see animals like hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks, riverbank elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, and many water birds, including yellow-billed stork, Abyssinian ground hornbill, squacco heron, and African skimmer, among others. After the boat ride, hike to the top of the falls for a clear view of the Devil's Cauldron, where the water forces itself into a 7-meter gorge before dropping 45 meters, forming a thunderous roar and a rainbow flame. You will have time for a photo shoot at these mighty falls before returning to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 04

Scenic Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

• After breakfast in the morning, embark on a journey to Kibale Forest National Park. This park is famously known for having the highest concentration of primates in East Africa, including chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, L'Hoest's monkey, and Uganda mangabey (Lophocebus ugandae). The drive is incredibly scenic, passing through villages, lush green countryside, hills dotted with tea plantations, local markets, and rolling hills. The beautiful scenery will amaze you all the way. We will have a stopover at Hoima Resort Hotel for lunch. Upon arrival at the accommodation, check in, relax, have dinner, and stay overnight.

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Day 05

Chimpanzee Tracking and Bigodi Wetland Visit

• After an early morning breakfast, pack your lunch and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing from the guide about chimpanzee tracking.
• After the briefing, enter the unique rainforest to look for the chimpanzees. Meeting them will be one of the most amazing experiences, as you will enjoy watching them play around, feed their young ones, and see the males guarding their territories. After that, enjoy your packed lunch in the wild. In the afternoon, after tracking, visit the Bigodi swamp, where you can see other primates like mongoose, bush pigs, baboons, and otters.

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Day 06

Crater Lake Region and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

• After an early breakfast at 6:30 am, embark on a journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park with a stunning drive lasting about 2-3 hours. The drive offers scenic views of the legendary Mountains of the Moon towering 5,109 m above sea level, with the snow-capped peaks of Mount Ruwenzori. Make stopovers at Ruboni Community Camp for a Bakonjo cultural village tour, music, dance and drama, and a craft village experience. Later, continue the drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, arriving in the late evening for lodge check-in, relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 07

Kasenyi Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

• After an early morning breakfast, embark on a rewarding 3-4-hour morning game drive in Kasenyi, exploring Queen Elizabeth National Park's rolling savannah landscape dotted with countless wild animals. Look out for elephants, buffaloes, lions, waterbucks, leopards, Uganda kobs, warthogs, as well as birds and primates.
• Retreat from the activity and drive back to the lodge for lunch, after which we shall gather at Mweya for a thrilling 2-hour afternoon boat cruise along the 40 km Kazinga Channel. Here, you will view one of the largest concentrations of hippos in the world, along with crocodiles, elephants, and buffaloes basking across the shores of the channel. After the activity, return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 08

Transfer to Bwindi via Ishasha Sector

• After an early morning breakfast at 6:30 am, connect with the ranger guide and embark on a 3-4-hour journey towards the Ishasha sector in search of tree-climbing lions resting in acacia and fig trees.
• After your game drive, transfer to the nearest lodge for lunch and proceed with the remaining part of the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 09

Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Community Walk

• After an early morning breakfast, connect to the park headquarters with packed lunch and meet the ranger guide for a briefing. At precisely 8 am, embark on an unforgettable trek through the jungle in the company of a ranger in search of the great mountain ape, our closest relatives sharing more than 97% of our DNA. Along the way, you are likely to see many different primates, such as black-and-white monkeys and L'Hoest monkeys. When the gorillas are sighted, you are allowed to spend one hour with them, watching them play, feed their young ones, and mark their territories. Retreat from the activity for lunch and relaxation.
• Later in the evening, embark on a community tour and visit the last remaining members of the Batwa pygmy tribe living harmoniously with the great forest giants in Bwindi. While in their community, learn traditional forest practices of the hunter-gatherer culture, listen to their stories, and attend their cultural dance performances before returning to the lodge for an overnight stay.

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Day 10

Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi and Community Island Visit

• After an early morning breakfast at 7:00 am, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi (place of many little birds), Africa's second-deepest lake, traversing through the Kigezi Highlands, referred to as the little Switzerland of Africa. The stunning surroundings offer impressive and spectacular views of the 29 islands. Undertake activities like sightseeing, community walks, and birdwatching. Have lunch at the resort and embark on a canoe or boat cruise on the lake to visit and interact with one of the 29 island communities, such as Punishment Island (Akampande), home to unmarried pregnant girls. Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 11

Return to Kampala via Igongo and the Equator

• With the aid of sweet melodies of birds singing, wake up at 6:00 am, have an early morning breakfast, and embark on a 470 km or 7-8-hour journey through the impressive countryside landscape of southwestern Uganda. Make a stopover for a traditional lunch at Igongo Cultural Centre for a typical African buffet, and another stop at the Equator point in Kayabwe for a water experiment and photo shoots.